Jonathan Mechanic > Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
ONE NEW YORK PLAZA
NEW YORK, NY 10004
NEW YORK
United States
Jonathan Mechanic photo

Work Department

Real Estate

Position

Jonathan Mechanic, a real estate partner and chairman of the Firm’s Real Estate Department, routinely counsels developers, owners, investors, REITs, and lenders in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition and development of office, retail, hotel and mixed-use properties; commercial mortgage, mezzanine and construction financing; acquisition and sale of distressed debt; and joint ventures and restructurings.

Career

Mr. Mechanic first joined the Firm in 1978. He became a partner in 1987, when he rejoined the Firm after having acted for five years as general counsel and a managing director of HRO International Ltd., a real estate development organization responsible for the development of more than 2.5 million square feet of office space in Manhattan. Mr. Mechanic lectures regularly for NYU Law School, the Real Estate Board of New York, the Practising Law Institute, and had previously taught the real estate transactions course at Harvard Law School for over 12 years. Mr. Mechanic is also a co-author of The Commercial Office Lease Handbook published by the American Bar Association.

Memberships

Mr. Mechanic is a member of the Executive Committee, Board of Governors for the Real Estate Board of New York and the Board of Trustees of NYU Law School. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Board of the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, a member of the Advisory Board of the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Columbia University Center for Urban Real Estate, and a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Education

Mr. Mechanic received his JD from New York University School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif, and his BA, magna cum laude, from Brandeis University.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Real estate > Real estate

(Hall of Fame)

Jonathan MechanicFried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Known for their prominence in the New York real estate market in particular, the practice at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is highly sought after for its wide experience ranging single and portfolio transactions through to mortgage and mezzanine loan work in addition to deep financing and joint venture expertise. Acting on lender and borrower, landlord and tenant sides, the team represents global household names such as Google and Citadel together with numerous developers, REITs, and investors, across all asset classes. Notably, the team has provided counsel to developer Tishman Speyer on the development of a 14-acre mixed-use Harvard Enterprise Research Campus together with several large media and entertainment sector matters such as its advising of Netflix in an agreement relating to the acquiring of a 300-acre site for the development of a studio production campus in New Jersey. The team has also been involved in a number of large New York lease renewals for the likes of Foxcorp LLC and Newscorp Holdings. Leading the practice is highly experienced New York-based real estate transaction expert Jonathan Mechanic, who was formerly a managing director for real estate development organization HRO International. Robert Sorin, also in New York, and Valerie Kelly from the Washington DC office, also bring substantial transaction and leasing experience, including in office, hotel, and retail assets. Alexander Sutherland  is another up-coming name on acquisitions, sales, and leasing. Other key names include Michael Werner, Laurinda Martins, and Tal Golomb, each in New York.